13 Dhul Hajjah marks demise anniversary of Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Taghi al-Shirazi

The 13th of Dhul-Hajjah marks the demise anniversary of Grand Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Mirza Mohammad Taqi al-Shirazi, may Allah bless his soul, who lead the 1920 revolution of the Iraqi nation against the British colonialists.

More details in the following report:

Grand Ayatollah Haj Sheikh Mirza Mohammad Taqi al-Shirazi, known as the Second Mirza or the Junior Mirza, is one of the great Shia authorities and one of the leaders of the Iraqi people’s uprising against the British rule in 1920 AD, who, with his efforts, defeated the British rule and influence in Iraq.

Grand Ayatollah Mirza Mohammad Taqi al-Shirazi studied religious sciences in Karbala and Samarra under mentorship of grand scholars such as Fazel Ardakani, Seyyed Ali Taqi Tabatabai and Mirza Mohammad Hasan Shirazi.

After the demise of the Great Mirza, the religious and political leadership was directed to him. He started teaching and training his students, and following the demise of the late Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Tabatabai Yazdi, the absolute religious authority of the Shiites was submitted to him.

He was one of the striving scholars who stood against the aggression of the British. In this regard, he issued a fatwa on the obligation to fight the British to mark one of his most important measures against colonialism.

The purpose of this uprising was to drive out the British invaders and establish an independent government. This uprising engaged about a third of the country, and continued in the middle parts of the Euphrates and some other provinces such as Nasiriyah. Historians believe that most of the Sunni tribes did not join this uprising.

Historians have evaluated the role of scholars and clerics in the 1920 Iraqi revolution as very important and impactful, with Mirza being the leader of the uprising. Clerics such as Seyyed Abul-Qasem Kashani, Sheikh Mahmoud Javad Al-Jaza’iri and Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hebatuddin Shahrestani played a prominent role in this revolution. The leaders and Nomadic chiefs also had a major impact on the uprising.

Following the “occupation” of their country, the Iraqi Shiites, in this historic action, led by the Shia Mara’je and clerics, organized a massive uprising against the invaders. Although this uprising came short of securing the complete independence of Iraq, it had a huge impact on destroying the policies of the British Government as well as the establishment of the first national government in Iraq.

This great and prolific scholar has also left many precious scientific works.

Finally, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Muhammad Taqi al-Shirazi passed away in Najaf on 13 Dhul Hajjah 1338 AH, and his body was buried in the shrine of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) in Karbala.

During one of his speeches, Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Sadegh al-Hosseini al-Shirazi remarked on the great personality of this grand scholar, and said:

It is recorded in history that Sheikh Mohammad Taqi al-Shirazi, who fought against the British invaders, had people inside Iraq who accused him of being a mercenary for the British. These accusers were known to the people. And when Mirza was asked to cut their education aids, he did not accept. This morality, faith, patience, tolerance and dedication to uniting the believers and avoiding dispersion despite differences of opinion and different tastes made him able to face the greatest power on earth with the support of the Iraqi nation and win over it.